To drought-stricken Alabama

Posted: Saturday, July 21, 2007

MOBILE, Ala. - The Army Corps of Engineers, under pressure from Alabama Gov. Bob Riley for drought relief, announced Friday it will increase water releases from Allatoona Lake despite a protest from Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue.

The flow from the Georgia lake at the headwaters of the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa river system will be increased by approximately 200 cubic feet per second, said Corps spokesman Patrick Robbins of Mobile.

At present, the Corps is generating the equivalent of one hour of hydropower generation from Allatoona each weekday and will increase to the equivalent of two hours, Robbins said.

Allatoona, owned and operated by the Corps, runs through Cobb, Bartow and Cherokee counties on the Etowah River.

Robbins also said the Corps will grant a 10 percent reduction in the required minimum flow from Alabama Power Co. lakes above Montgomery.

Robbins' statement didn't mention letters from Riley and Perdue to Army Secretary Pete Geren. Riley accused the Corps of illegally withholding water in the Georgia lake and hurting water flow downstream in Alabama.

Perdue argued the Allatoona water was neither the cause of nor the cure for Alabama's drought.

Perdue said the Corps already has released 8.4 billion gallons of water in Allatoona and nearby Lake Carters to boost the flow of water in Alabama.

The Corps says Friday's decision was in response to Alabama Power's request and not the Riley and Perdue letters to Geren.

Riley called the Corps' decision "an important step in the direction of equitable management of the water in the federal reservoirs" during the drought. Riley had said the Corps has "shortchanged" Alabama 18 billion gallons of water from Allatoona.

"Alabama understands that everyone will feel the pain of this drought, but these actions by the Corps will help to ensure that our state will not bear more than its fair share of the pain," Riley said in a statement Friday.